Otto Berman
Encyclopedia
Otto Biederman, known as Otto "Abbadabba" Berman (1889? – October 23, 1935), was an accountant
for American
organized crime
. He is known for coining the phrase "Nothing personal, it's just business."
Berman was born in New York City
. At age fifteen, he was arrested and tried for attempted rape
but found not guilty. He later became an accountant, well known for his ability to figure complex mathematical equations and algebraic expressions in a matter of seconds, without the use of paper or pen. A member of the New York
nightlife, he met and befriended writer Damon Runyon
. Runyon based his recurring character Regret on Berman, portrayed by character actor Lynne Overman
in the movie version of Runyon's story, Little Miss Marker
.
In the 1930s Berman became the accountant for, and advisor to, gangster Dutch Schultz
. In 1935 Berman was having a meeting at the Palace Chophouse tavern in Newark, New Jersey
with Schultz and gunmen Abe Landau and Lulu Rosenkrantz when assassins hired by Lucky Luciano
burst into the room. Berman was hit by several bullets as well as buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun, and was the second of the four men to die. A photo of his bullet-riddled body appeared alongside a photo of Schultz undergoing surgery in the next morning's newspaper, under the headline, "Schultz, Five Pals Shot" (in fact, only four others were shot: Berman, Landau, Rosenkrantz, and Marty Krompier, one of Schultz's lieutenants). The accompanying article claimed that Berman was a gunman for Schultz; an angry Damon Runyon
quickly submitted an editorial to the newspaper, defending Berman.
In the novel Billy Bathgate
, Berman appears as the mentor to the main character.
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
for American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. He is known for coining the phrase "Nothing personal, it's just business."
Berman was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. At age fifteen, he was arrested and tried for attempted rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
but found not guilty. He later became an accountant, well known for his ability to figure complex mathematical equations and algebraic expressions in a matter of seconds, without the use of paper or pen. A member of the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
nightlife, he met and befriended writer Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
. Runyon based his recurring character Regret on Berman, portrayed by character actor Lynne Overman
Lynne Overman
Lynne Overman was a film actor in the 1930s and early-1940s who often played a sidekick.-Selected filmography:* Dixie * The Desert Song * The Forest Rangers...
in the movie version of Runyon's story, Little Miss Marker
Little Miss Marker
Little Miss Marker is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alexander Hall. The screenplay was written by William R. Lipman, Sam Hellman, and Gladys Hellman after a short story by Damon Runyon. The film stars Shirley Temple, Adolphe Menjou, and Dorothy Dell in a story about a little girl held...
.
In the 1930s Berman became the accountant for, and advisor to, gangster Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz was a New York City-area Jewish American gangster of the 1920s and 1930s who made his fortune in organized crime-related activities such as bootlegging alcohol and the numbers racket...
. In 1935 Berman was having a meeting at the Palace Chophouse tavern in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
with Schultz and gunmen Abe Landau and Lulu Rosenkrantz when assassins hired by Lucky Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
burst into the room. Berman was hit by several bullets as well as buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun, and was the second of the four men to die. A photo of his bullet-riddled body appeared alongside a photo of Schultz undergoing surgery in the next morning's newspaper, under the headline, "Schultz, Five Pals Shot" (in fact, only four others were shot: Berman, Landau, Rosenkrantz, and Marty Krompier, one of Schultz's lieutenants). The accompanying article claimed that Berman was a gunman for Schultz; an angry Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
quickly submitted an editorial to the newspaper, defending Berman.
In the novel Billy Bathgate
Billy Bathgate
Billy Bathgate is a 1989 novel by author E. L. Doctorow that won the 1989 National Book Critics Circle award for fiction for 1990 and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and was the runner up for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize...
, Berman appears as the mentor to the main character.